


Saturday Night Dinner

by the_foxgirl



Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Day 1, Family, Friendship, Gen, Grandparents & Grandchildren, Mother-Daughter Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-10-01 15:31:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10193075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_foxgirl/pseuds/the_foxgirl
Summary: Rory and Paris' friendship grows over a potentially awkward family gathering.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kass](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kass/gifts).



 

“1,000 words on my desk on Tuesday!”

Madeline rolls her eyes. “Is it me, or is she even crankier than usual?”

Louise, in her often-smug way, flicks a glance toward Paris and smiles. “She’s been fasting.”

“Fasting? Paris isn’t usually one to diet.” Rory frowns. “Is she ok?”

“Oh,” she laughs, “No, it’s nothing like that. I think it’s some religious thing.” Louise shrugs.

Rory looks momentarily puzzled, then nods. “Oh, I remember this! She must be fasting before Purim!”

Madeline and Louise exchange a dubious look. “How did you know that? You’re not even Jewish,” Madeline says as she slides her notebook back into her bag.

“It’s not a big deal. I read a little bit about it once.”

“Remember who you’re talking to, Madeline. Rory reads actual books and remembers them. She’s like a computer sometimes,” Louise points out while reapplying her lip gloss, then stands up. “See you on Monday, Rory. Good luck with that article.”

***

“It’s so weird to be here on a Saturday night.”

“Yeah. Any idea why Grandma wanted to change dinner to Saturday night?”

“Clearly we’ve slipped into a crazy alternate world where my mother is secretly a giant alien wasp queen determined to paralyze us with her word venom and plant her eggs in our still-living flesh so she can finally have the chance to raise the wasp daughter she always wanted…” Lorelai trails off as the door opens, inconceivably stunned to silence.

“Oh, Rory, Lorelai, good, you’re here! Come in, come in!” Emily closes the door behind her speechless daughter and equally stunned granddaughter and smiles.

“...Grandma…?”

Lorelai gapes. “Mom. What are you wearing?”

Emily smooths her dress, the full skirt covered in rockets and stars and astronauts. “Well, we have some friends in town who are staying with us, and they brought their granddaughter who lives in the area but is visiting with them for the weekend.”

“And so you had to dress as Miss Frizzle, Mom?”

Emily beams. “You recognized it!”

“I watched Magic School Bus as a kid, Grandma.”

Lorelai grins. “Rory was convinced the Magic School Bus had flown up her nose for a whole month when she was 10.”

Emily leads them into the sitting room, where Richard, another older couple, and a teenage girl wait, sipping on their respective beverages. “Rory, these are our friends Hirschel and Deborah Geller, and their granddaughter…”

“...Paris…?”

Richard smiles and adjusts his disguise glasses-nose-moustache combo. “Rory, you know this young lady?”

“Yeah, she goes to Chilton with me,” Rory says, in a faintly dazed tone.

“Rory, Lorelai, it’s lovely to meet you,” Deborah smiles and adjusts her costume store crown as Hirschel nods with dignity in his rainbow clown wig.

Paris adjusts her white labcoat uncomfortably. “Hi, Rory.”

“Hey, Paris.” Rory and Lorelai sit down, and accept the drinks Richard hands them.

“So… Looks like Rory and I missed the memo on wearing costumes today…”

“Yes, Grandma, why is everyone wearing a costume?”

Emily drew herself up proudly. “Our lovely friends chose to come visit us over a Jewish holiday.”

Lorelai snorts. “What, is it Halloween already?”, she scoffs, but quickly stops when she sees the arctic look on her mother’s face.

“It’s Purim.” Everyone turns to look at Paris, who flushes red but keeps going. “I’m not usually observant, but whenever my grandparents are in town over holidays, I like to celebrate with them. Part of Purim is costumes, and giving to charity, and sharing food with friends.” She stiffens defensively. “I don’t care if you think I’m weird…”

“You’re not weird for that, Paris, that’s so cool!”

Lorelai looks at her daughter with raised eyebrows. Rory looks back at her and nods.

“That sounds like a cool tradition to celebrate with your grandparents.” Lorelai smiles, a little awkwardly.

Deborah, beaming with pride in her granddaughter, says, “Emily and Richard have been very kind in hosting us and joining in on our celebration.”

“We know it’s not your usual sort of thing, Richard, Emily, so thank you very much,” Hirschel rumbles.

Emily smiles, more sincerely than most of the time. “It’s our pleasure.”

***

After dinner, Paris and Rory go up to Lorelai’s old room for some time away from the adults.

“Um...hey Rory?”

“Yes?”

“I have something for you.” Paris pulls out a little bag. “It’s some cookies my grandma helped me make. It’s her own recipe.”

Rory smiles, a little awkwardly, and takes the bag, opening it and selecting one of the sweets. She pops it into her mouth. “Oh wow. Paris, these are amazing! Thank you!”

Paris actually smiles, a little shyly. “Well, part of Purim is sharing food with friends, and I wanted to give it to you myself.”

“Aw, we’re friends?” Rory gently teased.

Paris’ smile turns a little wry. “Don’t expect it to last, Gilmore.”

“Oh, I know. This is Purimly a one-time offer.”

Paris groans, and laughs a little, and talk turns to school and projects and other safer topics than the tender friendship growing in the rocky soil between them.

**Author's Note:**

> Dear Kass, 
> 
> I hope you like this story! I did my best to research, and any errors are my own.


End file.
